Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Sep 2010
ReviewThe role of pulmonary embolectomy in the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism: a literature review from 1968 to 2008.
Acute massive or submassive pulmonary embolism (PE) requires prompt diagnosis, risk-stratification and aggressive treatment. Mortality rates can rise up to 70% within the first hour of presentation and are strongly correlated with the degree of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, cardiac arrest, and consequential congestive heart failure. While anticoagulation is universally employed, there are inadequate data to establish definitive guidelines for the management of massive PE despite the availability of multiple treatment modalities. ⋯ Although traditionally reserved as rescue therapy for cases of failed thrombolysis, surgical embolectomy is a safe procedure with low mortality when performed early and in a selected group of patients. Sufficient evidence exists to extend the criteria for surgical embolectomy from strictly rescue therapy to include hemodynamically stable patients with RV dysfunction. Multidisciplinary approach to this condition coupled with a meticulous surgical technique has significantly lowered the mortality associated with this surgical procedure over the last 10 years.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Sep 2010
Case ReportsTransapical aortic valve prosthetic endocarditis.
An 83-year-old patient underwent a transapical aortic valve implantation at our institution. Four months later, she was readmitted to our institution because of fever and heart failure. ⋯ Because of the high surgical risk, surgery was refused and the patient died shortly after the diagnosis. We briefly discuss the implications of this finding in the prevention of infective endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Sep 2010
Case ReportsOesophageal perforation complicating intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography: suspicion can save lives.
Oesophageal injury is an extremely rare complication of intra-operative transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) associated with cardiac surgery. We report a case of delayed presentation (19 days after surgery) of oesophageal injury that was likely due to TOE following an aortic valve replacement. Lack of suspicion led to a delay in diagnosis but the patient fortunately survived. We advocate that in the event of postoperative hydropneumothorax, the differential diagnosis must include iatrogenic oesophageal injury from transoesophageal echo.